Origins of Sci Fi Pulp Fiction

Inevitably, the enduring popularity of these novels and others of their kin would result in a persistent demand among newly-minted sci-fi fans for a greater supply and access to science fiction writing.

This would come in the form of science fiction pulp magazines: hastily executed, graphically illustrated collections of short science fiction tales produced by fans for fans. The pulps provided a monthly dose of science fiction written by popular writers of the genre that were not accessible in novel form.

Early Pulps

Perhaps the earliest pulp to have existed was Hugo Gernsback’s “Amazing Stories” (April 1926). It compiled the work of Verne, Wells, and Edgar Allen Poe to name a few significant contributors. The July 1926 copy of Amazing Stories features Jules Verne’s "A Trip to the Center of the Earth."

The Sci-Fi Community

From the early 1940s onward, sci-fi maintained a grip on its readership and increased in popularity, spawning formal fan organizations, social clubs, and science fiction fan conventions. These conventions and gatherings encouraged and welcomed both amateur and professional pulp writers each as well as publishing industry professionals.

August 1952 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction

Popular concentrations included themes such as technical mastery and the progress of mankind as experienced through moon flights. Through the 1950s, Cold War paranoia and discomfort were reflected in stories of alien invasion and the doom of mankind as well as alien duplication and imitation of human beings. Ray Bradbury’s “Martians” was an exemplary pulp contribution that embodied this theme. The 1950’s blockbuster film, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” produced scores of copycats in the sci-fi pulp culture.

Noteworthy science fiction writings of the '50s that incorporated these central themes included Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (1954-55) by J.R.R Tolkein, which was conveniently continued in an overwhelmingly popular pulp series.

Going Mainstream

Chilton Book Company, 1965

Cold War interest and sci-fi blockbuster hits of the 1950s pulled science fiction and its culture firmly into the mainstream in the 1960s. Besides gaining a respected position on best-seller lists, it also fostered a new media sensation. Frank Herbert’s Dune enjoyed cult status outside the underground realm of sci-fi fandom. Here again, the dominating themes of unique worlds and inhabitants and defying the odds propelled science fiction to pop culture glory.

Science Fiction Icons

By the 1970s, female science fiction writers like Ursula Le Guin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Anne McCaffrey were entering the fray of sci-fi pulp and novel writing and inspiring new legions of fans.

Equally inspiring were the film mega-hits “Star Wars” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” “Star Wars” and its enduring themes of good vs. evil and man’s triumph over strange galaxies and life forms would survive as the iconic symbol of science fiction’s rise to respectability in mainstream culture.

Commercialization

May 1941 issue

Ironically enough, it was the phenomenally successful rise of science fiction that would result in an ensuing abatement in the pulp writing and publishing industries.

November 1945 issue

Science fiction had become decidedly commercialized and the predictable media hunger for “Star Wars” and its brethen on the film screen and on the bookshelves proved to be irresistible for throngs of science fiction writers who clamored for a position on the best-seller list.

It was only a matter of time before the science fiction pulp magazine returned to its sacred origins in the culture of sci-fi fandom.

Fanzines

Mirage fanzine, 1961

Fanzines are defined as amateur or hobby magazines which are often produced, edited, and published by fans of a specific genre for entertainment and/or use by other fans. Besides science fiction topics, other examples include (but are not limited to) horror, mystery suspense, and crime series.

January 1948 issue

From the '30s onward, the overwhelming popularity of science fiction pulp magazines produced not only a mass cult of science fiction interest and readership but also fans of the genre who aspired to join the ranks of the professional contributors.

The culmination of this zealousness, curiosity, and inspiration resulted in the amateur science fiction fanzine. These were roughly modeled after the pulps but differed from them in production, distribution, and format.

The Fanzine Culture

Science fiction fanzines were entirely written, produced, and distributed by the fans with no direct involvement with professional publishing services or marketing. Because of this, the fanzines were often raw in quality- in terms of writing and in the final product itself. Drawings to accompany the stories were most often crudely executed and sometimes graphic. The ‘zines themselves were thin and appeared cheaply produced.

January 1938 issue

However, the science fiction fanzines did contain a crucial point of interest for readers: fanzine creators included mailing lists and addresses for fans to contact and communicate with other fans and professionals of the genre.

Often, the fanzines served like a platform for organizing fan meetings and conventions and attracting new members to specific fan groups. This distinct ability to provide a means of fan interaction and a jump-start for aspiring science fiction writers laid the path for a thriving underground industry.

The Fanzine Community

Rather than marketing their products, fanzine creators relied almost entirely on word of mouth by other fans and on visibility at fan gatherings such as science fiction conventions, readings etc.

Summer 1937 issue

It was not uncommon to discover a row of fanzines alongside a shelf of pulps at any given fan convention and, in some cases, this visibility promoted the amateur creations to the professional industry whose members were known to peruse conventions and fan social events.

In some cases, particularly admirable editions even attracted professional writer contribution in the form of “guest authors.” A select minority even established themselves as prominent editions in the industry such as Sam Moskowitz’s “Fantasy News."

The Short-Lived Fanzine

May 1940 issue

The majority of science fiction fanzines were short-lived due to the creator’s time and money constraints in producing and distributing his/her work. The typical fanzine author also held a fulltime occupation in addition to managing the fanzine’s operations. Further burdening the author was the fanzine’s certain status as a strictly money-losing venture.

January 1953 issue

Though the fanzine’s self-efficient production and marketing strategy were comparatively affordable and bottleneck proof, more often than not, the fanzine was fortunate to break even…. let alone earn a profit as a sustainable franchise for its creator. As a result, it was not surprising for some science fiction fanzines to stop production and circulation in a matter of a week--if not days.

The Fanzine's Legacy

Despite the discouraging facts, the fanzine eras did produce some of science fiction’s most profound writers, who, after entertaining fanzines of their own, ascended to professional status.

A short list of these anointed ranks includes: Edgar Rice Burroughs of the “Mithra 7” series, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, and J.R.R. Tolkein, especially noted for his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.